No toll-free conferencing. Some issues with desktop application in testing.

Bottom Line

A top video conferencing pick for small businesses, join.me has a modern interface that's very easy to use and plenty of features to enhance your online meetings.

Join.me (which begins with a limited free option) is part of the LogMeIn family of services. It offers feature-rich video conferencing and two affordable plans. Monthly fees are charged per registered user and only meeting hosts need an account helping to keep costs down. Its user interface (UI) is friendly and modern, and setting up meetings couldn't be easier. Our only major gripe: If you have a ultra high-resolution screen, then the desktop application may not display properly. Our Editors' Choice ClickMeeting does not have this problem, and it also offers additional presenters at a lower price with more meeting controls.

Join.me Packages

Join.me offers an array of plans to fit your needs. The free Basic plan includes screen sharing with voice-over-IP (VoIP) calling for up to 10 participants, along with email support. The next step up is the Pro plan, which costs $20 per user per month for online meetings, with unlimited audio conferencing with up to 50 participants. The Business plan is $25 per month for each user, includes up to 250 participants, and includes integrations. The Pro and Business plans are billed annually, and come with email and phone support and 5 GB and 5 TB of cloud storage, respectively. The paid plans include VoIP and dial-in conference calls, screen sharing, and video chats. A free 14-day trial of the Pro plan is available. If you run a non-profit organization, then you'll gain access to similar plans but for $2 less per user per month.

Getting Started With Join.Me

Join.me's free trial is displayed prominently on the pricing page. The trial lasts 14 days and doesn't require a credit card. When the trial ends, your plan converts to the free plan. The trial includes a custom link to share your screen; the free plan generates a new link each time.

You can create personal backgrounds for your meetings by uploading your own images or choosing one of join.me's designs. This background is shown when participants are waiting for a meeting to start and when the meeting is over.

After signing up and setting a password, get started right away is easy, though you must verify your plan within seven days. Verifying your account and completing your profile with your full name, company, title, phone number, and company size adds seven extra days to your trial. The join.me interface is friendly, with an attractive green-and-orange design. Your dashboard displays how many days are left in your trial and you can easily view your meetings, settings, manage presenters, and add hosts to your plan. Everything is worded in an easy-to-understand way.

Setting Up a Meeting

To schedule a meeting, click "Start Meeting" from your dashboard and select either your personalized URL or a one-time code. For your first meeting, you'll have to download the join.me desktop app. As with Cisco WebEx Meeting Center service, the desktop app displayed very tiny text during testing, even if I tried to zoom in or resize the window. I emailed support to find out what could be done, and received a reply within 12 hours that said the font size couldn't be changed. But I was provided a link to Wikihow about how to change font size in Windows. I ended up reducing my display's resolution from 3,200-by-1,800 to 1,600-by-900 pixels, which made it a bit easier to read but warped my other desktop apps.

To invite people to a meeting, either send an email invitation directly from join.me or copy the URL and share it with participants. When setting up the meeting, you can choose whether to include audio conferencing dial-in numbers. Join.me offers a number of US and international numbers. Toll-free conferencing is not available.

The Meeting Experience

To join a meeting, simply click the link you received, and follow the dial-in instructions, if any. Presenters can share their screen, record the meeting (both audio and screen activity), and select which attendees can use webcams. Join.me allows up to 10 video feeds at a time, which is more than most competitors do. ClickMeeting allows up to four active webcams, Cisco WebEx Meeting Center allows seven, though Adobe Connect puts no limit on video streams. Presenters can also set whether participants can talk or are muted. Online chat is available in all video conferences.

A variety of meeting and audio settings are available, including whether to start a call when the organizer joins or when the second person joins, whether to play hold music until the call starts, or to play a sound when someone joins or leaves a call. You can also use your own conference line rather than that of join.me. Once you've set up a meeting, you can go in and set up the meeting space right away; you just have to download a plug-in the first time. One annoyance: The second time I set up a meeting, I was again prompted to download the desktop app. Once I relaunched the app, that prompt was dismissed.

Video Conferencing Capabilities

During a video call, a participant can request the presenter role and mouse control. Presenters can share whiteboard presentations, but only on iOS devices, which is dissappointing. Many competitors, including ClickMeeting, Adobe Connect, and WebEx, offer desktop whiteboard tools, though eVoice doesn't offer that feature at all. Join.me's free plan includes up to four whiteboards at a time, while the Pro and Business plans offer unlimited whiteboards.

Meetings in join.me can't be password protected, but you can lock meetings, requiring attendees to "knock" to request access.

The scheduling of meetings can occur right from your calendar using plug-ins for Microsoft Outlook and Google Calendar (the latter requires Google Chrome). Join.me has apps for Android devices as well as for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch. Your iPhone or Apple Watch can be used as a remote control. The desktop app is compatible with Windows 7 and higher and Mac OS X and higher; Linux is not supported. The website works with Internet Explorer 8 and above or the latest version of Chrome, Firefox, or Safari on a Mac. Join.me is also available in six languages in addition to English.

Getting Help

Join.me offers a lot of easy-to-access support should you need it. The Help section is extensive and uses predictive text for entries. There's also a knowledge base, a user forum, and a feedback form for feature requests. You can also email support using a web form. When I emailed to ask about the issues I was having with the desktop app, I received a response within four hours. Phone support is available for the Pro and Business plans only.

New Features

Join.me now lets hosts individually mute participants to better control the flow of meeting conversations. Additionally, users will now be able to see who is speaking. If someone on your call is making a sound or has background noise, then a highlight will surround his or her avatar. Join.me also launched video calling on Android and iOS devices this year, so you'll be able to fully participate regardless of the device with which you're working.

Join.Me Is Easy to Use

Conference calls are often a drag but join.me offers a number of features to keep participants engaged, including screen sharing and up to 10 video feeds at a time. But it's disappointing that the whiteboard, too, is available only on iPads. Also, if you have a high-resolution display, then you may have issues with the desktop app. However, for a small company that doesn't need a lot of meeting hosts, join.me is a great deal. ClickMeeting, our Editors' Choice, offers a desktop whiteboard tool, and its app is compatible with high-resolution displays.

Molly K. McLaughlin is a New York-based writer and editor with more than a decade of experience covering technology. She has tested and reviewed all sorts of software, mobile apps, and gadgets. Before launching her freelance business, she was an editor at PC Magazine, covering consumer electronics, followed by a stint at ConsumerSearch.com, a revie... See Full Bio

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